Willa Cohen
April 14, 2026

How Two Amex Business Cards Could Put Up to 500,000 Points in Your Account

How Two Amex Business Cards Could Put Up to 500,000 Points in Your Account

Not all credit card sign-up bonuses deserve your attention. Some of them are so good that you should seriously think about redesigning your financial life in order to take advantage of them. This particular offer is of the latter type.

Two of the most powerful business cards from American Express are currently offering personalized bonuses that, if added together, can give you up to 500,000 Membership Rewards points. If you ever used Amex points to get a business-class flight, you can easily calculate how much that is worth.

Let's take a look at those cards, the application process, and reasons to consider this offer even more lucrative than you might imagine. 

Card Combination That Allows This Offer

Two cards that are the stars of this offer are American Express Business Platinum Card® and American Express Business Gold Card. Although these two cards complement each other, they are not companion cards in the technical sense. Instead, they offer unique sets of rewards, benefits, and terms that work perfectly together. Here are their welcome offers:

Amex Business Platinum: up to 300,000 Membership Rewards points after reaching $20,000 in spending during the first 3 months of opening an account

American Express Business Gold: up to 200,000 Membership Rewards points after reaching $15,000 in spending during the first 3 months of opening an account

When taken together, their welcome bonuses can provide you with up to 500,000 Membership Rewards points equivalent to $11,000, using the valuation rate of 2.2 cents per point. Note that the actual amount might vary depending on your personal preferences, but we will talk about this later.

Also, please keep in mind that all offers from American Express are personalized and the numbers mentioned above are maximum possible amounts. However, as you'll soon find out, the application process is such that you can check if you're eligible without any risks to your credit score.

Amex Business Platinum: Top-Tier Business Travel Card

One of the best business travel cards on the market is Amex Business Platinum. This card does come with the annual fee of $895, which might seem too steep to some. Still, the benefits that it offers can easily outweigh that fee for those who travel a lot and spend a lot on their trips.

On the earning side, this card provides 5x Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com, 2x points on qualified purchases in selected business categories, and on single transactions with the purchase of $5,000 or more (up to $2 million in total annually). Also, you earn 1x points on all other types of transactions.

In addition to the earning capabilities, this card offers an array of benefits related to travel. It provides a global airport lounge access program, elite status in several hotel chains, rental car status, and several protection programs that cover travel and consumer concerns. Most of these features require prior enrollment, which means you need to activate them right upon getting your card.

Of course, the most important part of this offer is the welcome bonus. As you remember, you can earn as many as 300,000 Membership Rewards points for spending $20,000 in the first three months after applying for this card. Using a valuation of 2.2 cents per point, that's approximately $6,600 in value!

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Amex Business Gold: Best Day-To-Day Business Card

While Amex Business Platinum is ideal for frequent travelers and those who spend a lot on flights and hotels, Amex Business Gold is a perfect fit for small business owners who don't necessarily travel but have plenty of expenses to cover. The annual fee for this card stands at $375, and it's an excellent choice for business owners who are looking for solid rewards and great benefits.

Starting off with earning opportunities, this card provides 4x points on the two largest spend categories each month. The best part is that those categories are automatically determined by Amex, taking into account the history of your purchases. Categories are quite broad and include various expenses related to food, transportation, office supplies, and more. You can find the entire list here. Also, 4x points are awarded on purchases up to $150,000 annually. Finally, you earn 3x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com.

As for the welcome bonus, Amex Business Gold cardholders can earn up to 200,000 points for spending $15,000 in the first three months after applying. That's one of the most generous offers of this card. 

Application Process Without the Need to Check Your Credit Score

As you might know, opening an account with Amex requires a hard credit pull, which can negatively affect your credit score. Fortunately, both Amex cards mentioned above offer a unique way to apply without any risk to your score. 

Here's how the process works:

  • You submit your application as usual
  • American Express conducts a soft pull to determine your eligibility
  • You receive your personalized offer
  • You can exit the application anytime before accepting it without any risk

If you decide to proceed and open your account, Amex may conduct a hard pull on your credit score. As you can see, you are free to explore this offer without any risk. You can check the personalized bonuses for both cards and see if you can get the maximum possible amount of points, or if you can only earn a bit less than that.

Value of 500,000 Points

Membership Rewards points offered by Amex are one of the most versatile options available on the market. Unlike points that expire after a certain period of time, Amex points never expire, allowing you to save up points throughout the years. Furthermore, Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, travel arrangements, and transferred to over 100 airline and hotel partners.

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While transferring points to your bank or using them to pay your bills might sound tempting, they do not provide you with the maximum value. To get the highest possible value from your points, you need to transfer them to airlines – especially if you're planning an international trip. By doing so, you can easily get over 3 cents per point!

To put things into perspective, 500,000 points, valued at 3 cents each, can get you over $15,000 worth of travel. Depending on your plans, that might be several long-haul flights or even a business-class or first-class ticket.

Final Word:

Although 500,000 Membership Rewards points might sound like an insane number that you cannot reach, this offer allows you to earn them within a relatively short period of time. While the maximum bonus of 500,000 points is available for those who can spend as much as $35,000 in the first three months of opening accounts, you should also know that the minimum bonus is much lower.

Still, even in the latter scenario, this combination of cards can prove to be very beneficial for you. First of all, these two cards complement each other perfectly, offering different earning rates and benefits. Also, since they have a unique application process, you can quickly check if you are eligible for these bonuses and estimate their value.

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